Brotherhood of St Laurence

Library Blog - October 2023


News

Advancing loneliness and social isolation as global health challenges: taking three priority actions

Public Health Research & Practice, September 2023, Volume 33, Issue 3, Michelle H Lim et al.

Loneliness and social isolation have been identified as critical global health issues in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis. While there is robust scientific evidence demonstrating the impact of loneliness and social isolation on health outcomes and mortality, there are fundamental issues to resolve so that health authorities, decision-makers, and practitioners worldwide are informed and aligned with the latest evidence. This paper argues that three priority actions are needed achieve a wider and more substantial impact on loneliness and social isolation:
  1. strengthening the evidence base;
  2. adopting a whole-of-systems approach;
  3. developing policy support for governments worldwide.
These priority actions are essential to reduce the pervasive impact of loneliness and social isolation as social determinants of health, the authors state.



Human Rights 75 Initiative

United Nations.

Human Rights 75 is an initiative whose three main goals focus on universality, progress and engagement under the leadership of UN Human Rights, together with its partners. The initiative culminates in a high-level event in December 2023 that will announce global pledges and ideas for a vision for the future of human rights.


Community help to support wellbeing and connection in Frankston

Frankston City will become one of the first Councils in Victoria to establish a new initiative to promote community inclusion and wellbeing, and is looking to local community members to play a key role.
The Social Inclusion Action Group (SIAG) is a flagship program recommended by the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System, and aims to bring together a diverse group of people to develop initiatives that focus on social inclusion, wellbeing and mental health.


Podcasts/Streaming

Know your rental rights

Tenants Victoria.

Tenants Victoria is a nonprofit organisation that supports and advocates for Victorian tenants. The "Know your rental rights" series contains 4 videos: Repairs, Bonds, Compensation and Condition reports.

Voices Of Australia: What Australians think about...Migration (Season 2, Episode 1)

Scanlon Foundation Research Institute

Except for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, every Australian traces their roots to somewhere else. Since the time of Federation, the politics of who gets to start anew in this land has been a dominant theme.
According to recent results from the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute’s Mapping Social Cohesion survey’s, there has been a significant increase in positive attitudes towards migrants in Australia. 76% of people agreed that “immigrants make Australia stronger” in the 2022 survey, up from 63% in 2018, and 94% agreed that born outside of Australia can be just as good citizens as those born within the country.
However, an ever-developing housing crisis, an increase in the expected number of migrants for the year 2023, and a comprehensive overhaul of the migration system announced by the Albanese Labor government has brought further complication to the conversation surrounding migration in Australian.
Together, our guests delve into the nuances of Australia’s migration system, the impacts migrants have on our communities, and the necessary reforms needed to build a more cohesive society.

It's not just the vibe, it's the Constitution

Kim Rubenstein and James Blackwell

In 2023 Australians are being asked to change the Constitution. If we are being asked to change something, shouldn’t we know what is in it already? Sure, we know something about ‘the vibe’ of it from the Castle, but what else?
In this 8-part podcast series, It’s Not Just the Vibe, it’s the Constitution! Kim Rubenstein and James Blackwell talk about just that – how the Constitution came to be, what is in it already, and what the 2023 referendum is about!


Learning

University of Melbourne, Wednesday, 15 November 2023, Melbourne, Free
Whether it's finding new ways to solve problems, advancing technology, or helping communities, the conscious pursuit of impactful research is required in order to ensure that research findings and outputs ultimately create meaningful and positive changes within society.
The University of Melbourne will host The Future of Impact Research Symposium, which aims to explore the current research impact landscape.


Economic & Social Outlook Conference

Melbourne Institute and The Australian, Thursday, 2 November 2023, Southbank, Melbourne

The Melbourne Institute and The Australian present the 2023 Economic and Social Outlook Conference. The Conference is the only national forum of its kind that provides leading politicians, bureaucrats, academics, and policy and industry analysts with a platform to tackle the critical issues facing Australia today. The theme at this year’s conference is ‘Bold Ideas for a Defining Decade’ and will feature discussions that explore how policy and economic innovation can help achieve this vision for the nation.

Addressing Female Poverty: Causes and Solutions

Melbourne Institute Monday, 30 October 2023, Canberra

Women, and especially older women, are overrepresented in poverty statistics. Financial vulnerability may lead to financial stress, mental distress, social isolation, ill health and housing insecurity, or even homelessness. There are multiple causes of female poverty, including women’s role as the principal carer for children leading to weaker or severed connections to the labour force which can have long-term impacts on their careers and earning capacity. Relationship breakdown is more likely to lead to poverty for women than for men for these reasons. Financial dependency on a partner may also trap women in bad relationships and make it difficult to escape domestic violence.

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